CONSTANT POTENTIAL

X-RAY TECHNOLOGY: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

NDT in Canada Conference

June 16, 2015

Rebecca Rudolph

SALES MANAGER IXP

1

THE COMET GROUP

COMET, AG is a 65 year-old Swiss company and a leading supplier of advanced system and component solutions based on x-ray, electron beam, and RF technologies

Provider of X-ray/EB source technology supporting customer screening, inspection, & material processing requirements

Worldwide representation, with global operations supporting OEMs on a global basis in the US, Europe, and China

Strategy underpinned by product innovation, staff expertise and A+ customer experiences

2

Radiography Modalities

and Trends

How X-rays are Produced

Transitioning to Digital: Applications

and Images

Conclusions

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

3

APPLICATIONS OF X-RAY SOURCES

4

Food Inspection

Fish bones inspection Jelly inspection

Thickness Gauging

Hot steel plate Cold steel plate

e-beam

Sterilization of Food Packaging

Curing of Inks

new

Non Destructive Testing

Wheel inspection Pipeline inspection

Security

Luggage inspection Truck inspection Engine block inspection

Inspection of parked Cars

Sterilization of Pharma Packaging

5

“The successful use of radiography depends on the ability of the radiation source, be it x-ray or gamma, to provide sufficient radiation to penetrate the [material] and produce and image of acceptable contrast and definition.”1

STANDARD X-RAY SYSTEMS

6

• Complete x-ray systems, generator sets and x-ray tubes

• 75kV to 600kV and up to 6 kW for highest power applications

• Oil insulated, rugged for field use

• High reliability, precise and repeatable

• Low temperature drift, low high voltage ripple

WELL ESTABLISHED

FOR FLAW

DETECTION AND

EVALUATION

PORTABLE X-RAY SYSTEMS

• 160kV – 300kV tubeheads

• Electronic tube head, gas insulated tube tank

• Power transformer

• High voltage multiplier column and filament supply

• Metal ceramic X-ray insert

• Fan for air cooling of anode cooler w/ integrated lead protection

• Small Focal Spot (1.00mm and 3.00mm)

300kV X-Ray Tube

Tube Head Electronics

Power transformer

High voltage Mulitiplier

Filament supply

Metal Ceramic X-Ray Insert

Anode Cooler

Cooling Fan

300kV X-Ray Tube

7

PORTABLE X-RAY – THE EVOLUTION

• From oil filled to gas- filled tube heads

• From glass tubes to Metal Ceramic X-ray inserts

• Improved reliability, X-ray performance and robustness

MODEL YEAR WEIGHT

300kV Portable X-ray Tube Head 1962

130kg

300kV Portable X-ray Tube Head

2015

29kg

CONSTANT POTENTIAL ENERGY

9

From half wave to constant potential high voltage technology.

SIGNIFICANTLY

SHORTER EXPOSURE

TIMES

Do

se r

ate

Non constant potential energy

High voltage High voltage

Constant potential energy

Dose r

ate

Pulsed X-ray

• Can be battery powered

• Smaller systems easily transported in the field

• Ease of use

High MeV systems

• Large footprint

• Extremely high penetration

• Containment is costly

10

OTHER X-RAY SOURCES

GAMMA

Iridium 192, Cobalt 60, Selenium 75, Yt 169

• Small diameter source, guide tube

• Limited components - Most servicing and maintenance in-field.

• Small size and low weight

• No power required

• Simple to “crank out” and “crank in”. Nothing to enter and no

values to program.

POSITIONING

EASE OF

MAINTENTANCE

PORTABILITY

POWER

EASE OF USE

11

How X-rays are Produced

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

12

• Tube made of glass or metal and a very good vacuum (<10-6 mbar –10-8 mbar ) • Opposing Cathode (-) and Anode (+) • High-voltage Iss applied across the cathode and anode

- Cathode

+ Anode

Filament High Voltage (e.g. 160 kV)

Vacuum

TECHNICAL GENERATION OF X-RAYS – KEY COMPONENTS

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- Cathode

+ Anode

Filament

Vacuum

Focal Spot

High Voltage (e.g. 160 kV)

• Electrical field is shaped by tuning the geometry of tube, cathode and anode in such a way that electrons are focused onto one spot on the anode

TECHNICAL GENERATION OF X-RAYS – FOCAL SPOT

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- Cathode

+ Anode

Filament

Vacuum

Focal Spot

e- e- e- e- e- e-

• Filament (W) is heated above 2000°C causing thermionic emission of electrons • Electrical field accelerates the electrons toward the anode. • Impacting electrons create Brems- and/or Characteristic radiation • Primary output is Thermal Energy (98-99%), X-Ray Energy is only 1-2%

High Voltage (e.g. 160 kV)

TECHNICAL GENERATION OF X-RAYS – X-RAY GENERATION

15

e- e- e-

e- e- e-

- Cathode

Filament

Vacuum

Focal Spot

Window High Voltage (e.g. 160 kV)

+ Anode

• The more electrons hitting the anode / the focal spot, the more X-Ray radiation is created. Dose and intensity increase.

• The Anode (made of Tungsten / Tungsten alloy) gets hot and cooling is necessary (water, oil, air)!

TECHNICAL GENERATION OF X-RAYS – X-RAY GENERATION

16

e- e- e-

e- e- e-

Coolant - Cathode

Filament

Vacuum

Focal Spot

Window High Voltage (e.g. 160 kV)

+ Anode

TECHNICAL GENERATION OF X-RAYS – X-RAY GENERATION

• The more electrons hitting the anode / the focal spot, the more X-Ray radiation is created. Dose and intensity increase.

• The Anode (made of Tungsten / Tungsten alloy) gets hot and cooling is necessary (water, oil, air)!

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INFLUENCE OF TARGET AND FOCAL SPOT

Enhanced resolution due to smaller focal spots:

FOCAL SPOT

SPECIFICS

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The bigger the spot the bigger the possible thermal load.

The smaller the spot the higher the image sharpness.

Small, Round & Uniform Good Image Quality

INFLUENCE OF TARGET AND FOCAL SPOT

Enhanced resolution due to smaller focal spots:

FOCAL SPOT

SPECIFICS

19

MXR-451

Spot = 2.5 (900W)

MXR-451HP/11

Spot = 0.4 (700W)

Transitioning to Digital: Applications and

Images

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

20

THE MODERN X-RAY SYSTEM

• Improved focal spots for better images with digital imaging media

• Lower weight

• Fast exposure times

• Ideal for weld and seam inspection

EASE OF USE

(15 minutes from weld

available to results)

21

THE MODERN X-RAY SYSTEM

• ideal for flaw identification and inspection

• X-Ray power is easily adjusted

• Same power on the first to last day on the job

POWER RANGE AND

AVAILABILITY

16” pipe scan

Contrast adjusted and

artifact magnified

16” Pipe Scan

Contrast adjusted and artifact magnified

22

THE MODERN X-RAY SYSTEM

• Voiding and undercuts

FLEXIBILITY IN

CHALLENGING

ENVIRONMENTS

16” pipe scan

Contrast adjusted and

artifact magnified

16” Pipe Scan

Contrast adjusted and artifact magnified

23

THE NEXT GEN PORTABLE X-RAY SYSTEM

• Diagnostics via USB, Ethernet and Bluetooth

• Exposure calculator for faster set up in the field

• Recoverable history for repeatable exposures

• Better System integration

• Seamless User Interface

• Less paper work

REDUCED DOWNTIME

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DIGITAL X-RAY

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• Simple physical and software integration

RTR

Digital Imaging Solutions

Crawlers

• Long up-time with no degradation

of signal quality

• Short exposure times

• Higher resolution and lower noise in many cases

WHEN PAIRED WITH

CONSTANT

POTENTIAL X-RAY

LOOKING FORWARD

26

• CP and new X-ray sources lend themselves to the constantly evolving digital imaging world

• Smaller focal spots for higher resolution

• Cleaner spectra leads to less noise

• Greener technology

• More integrated digital solutions!

THE SMART EVO SERIES 27 27

THANK YOU

FOR YOUR

ATTENTION

17-06-2015

1. 2006. Hayward and Currie, Radiography of Welds Using

Selenium 75, Ir 192 and X-Rays. 12th A-PCNDT,

Auckland, New Zealand.

REFERENCES

17-06-2015